


maps of your galaxies

by meowpunk (mokusei)



Series: ATLAS [1]
Category: Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - Fandom
Genre: 80s Music, Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Canon-Typical Violence, Drinking, Drinking & Talking, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fulton is both amazing and terrifying, Gen, Genetically Enhanced, Gentleness, Heavy Angst, I am a horrible writer but I had this idea at like 3 am and I couldn't forget it, Inspired by Music, Like Really Slow to Update, Mentions of Traumatic Events, More tags to be added, One Shot Collection, Parasites, Past Abuse, Past Torture, Past Violence, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Slow To Update, Snipers, Tranquilizers, Unlikely Friendships, War, mentions of gore, mentions of torture, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 20:02:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11813199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mokusei/pseuds/meowpunk
Summary: When she's sent on a mission with you she's hesitant, angered even.Nobody other than Snake and Ocelot had shown any sort of positivity towards her and yet they wanted her to accompany you.Sure, they only recently had found you and you'd rejoined but surely you wouldn't be any different from the others, right?Wrong. Very, very wrong.You definitely were as special as they said.Story with a Plot, it is more of a One-Shot Collection, though.Quiet & Reader, since, you know, there's not enough Quiet Fics out there.





	maps of your galaxies

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, this is probably going to be really bad since with most Stories it sounds better in my head.  
> Second of all, I hope you are ready for mentions of drama, as in very, very emotional pain. That's my specialty.
> 
> Appearance has not been described yet for a good reason, don't worry.  
> A lot of things were left open to keep them for you to consider and perhaps interpret them, if you will.

_i am desperate if nothing else_

_and somehow i've fallen in love_  
_with this middle ground at the cost of my soul_

/

 it doesn't take words to notice the discomfort quiet expresses in her stance, the flickering of anger at the proposition of working with you. you've only just returned to mother base after years of being lost and considering that you've worked with snake and kaz in the past it surprises her that you're considerably younger than the elder men ; you're barely older than your mid-thirties, if anything. she can't be too sure, and frankly, can't be bothered. she's pretty sure that everyone on mother base knows about her _mild_ problems with the diamond dogs other than boss, and maybe ocelot if you want to count people she doesn't feel like murdering. you stand behind miller, a sincere smile on your lips as you look at the ground. " **she doesn't have to join me, if she doesn't want to**." you state with a gentle firmness that surprises her. you don't say that you don't want to be around her, you don't hurl insults or pure disdain her way. no, you opt to consider her emotions and that's one of the few times someone's ever done that for her. not that it really matters, you probably only tried to sound nicer around the three men, anyways.

" **she does. she needs to get out of here, needs to-** " miller is interrupted by ocelot before he can even begin to degrade her in his small vent, a part of her is thankful for it, she really doesn't want to bear with miller's words. ever, if she's honest. " **she needs to get off of mother base for a bit, however, since snake is taking DD with him and everyone else doesn't seem too fond of her we thought it might be a good idea to send her with you; you did seem to be interested in her before**." the last phrase is a simple statement but it can be seen in many ways and whether or not you're just naturally shy you look at the ground, kicking the dust with your right foot as your hand extends to reach behind your neck. " **i only said that it's kind of fascinating she can just ... vanish, at will, if you want to say it like that. doesn't mean i want to force her to help me.** " you seem nervous about the prospect of having her with you. good, better to be aware of just how dangerous she could be to you. but then you look up and your gaze meets her's for just a second and she's startled just the tiniest bit. you're not afraid of her, you are sincerely considered about her feelings here.

you're weird, absolutely insane, she thinks, for not only being unafraid of her but also for seemingly considering her a comrade as if she belonged here. and she tries to fight it back but just the tiniest bit of happiness creeps through her. this is one of the first times someone hasn't seen her as just another war object, as just some weapon or monstrosity but as another person. as something other than a freak. the only other people who've treated her with something akin to such kindness were ocelot and snake, and even those two were still obviously wary about her. ocelot cranes his head to look at her, " **well, since tiger wants you to decide what do you say?** " it's the first time she's heard your callsign, or at least part of it. it makes her wonder why they chose to call you wolf when you seem nothing alike the animal, at all. but she doesn't dwell on it too much and despite her brain telling her she'll regret it she nods instinctively, taking a small step forward. with a satisfied nod of acknowledgment the blonde man turns back to you, smiling slightly. " **well, seems like you're gonna have some company. come back safely, alright?** " he rests a gloved hand on your shoulder and you nod, glancing at quiet once again.

" **with such good back-up at my side i probably won't get a single scratch.** " you laugh quietly.

she can hear kaz, who's been oddly quiet sigh and mumble something under his breath, but she can hear it well enough and for a second she wonders what he means with " **that's gonna be their doom one day, again.** " she doesn't wonder about what he means, since she guesses he is referring to your naivety and hopeful optimism, but it's the again that catches her attention. not that she has time to dwell on that before snake places a careful hand on her shoulder, putting the slightest bit of pressure on it to make her go in your direction. she turns her head to look at him and his expression surprises her. he doesn't even need to use his voice to make her understand what's going on inside his head. _protect them_ , _make sure they come back again_. whatever your relationship with the other three is, it must be more than a usual comradery if she can already feel the silent threat of 'if they do not return alive and well then...' in the air. you give a gentle hum and poke her side to get her attention and with a grunt she reacts, removed out of her world of thoughts and questions. " **you coming?** " you smile at her, eyes closed and she questions just how stupid you are. just by having your eyes closed you'd give her enough time and possibility to kill you. if you were like this on the battlefield she'd have way too much work to do.

this mission really _was_ off to a bad start.

/

the flight towards bwala ya masa is long, flights are always long. she glances down at her weapon. tranquilizer rifle, suppressed. you had took any rifle from her that could have been lethal and for a moment she question just how mad you truly were. you were supposed to extract a prisoner from a place with more than just a few guards and wild animals. it'd be hell if you only knocked down enemies without ensuring their death. but you were insistent and since you were essentially her superior in this mission she had no choice but to comply. " **most have someone to come back to, you know?** " she merely glanced up, not even surprised at your sudden statement. you'd been fidgeting in your seat for a while, as though you'd been anxious to speak for a while. as though you wanted to have a conversation despite her obvious silence. " **i used to be undisturbed by killing people, i think. but things change and before i knew it i hated the sight of fresh blood**." anyone else she would have declared for opening up to a complete stranger, but the way you said it somehow seemed to fit you and what little she'd seen of your personality so far. she only looked at you for a moment longer before looking back out of the window.

" **i'm gone before they wake up, anyways. i get the job done and everyone gets to live another day. it's a privilege in this world, really**." your tone was serious, firm. it didn't seem to fit you but it did the words. she gave a small nod, not fully able to relate since she never had anyone to come back to from a young age but understanding the concept of preferring to live. though, it briefly stirred up the question whether or not you'd ever considered that someone might follow you. you stopped looking between your weapons and her, craning your neck to look at the outside, watching everything pass. she immediately noticed how your shoulders seemed to relax, made her realise how tense you'd been before. not that she really cared. " **if this whole mess helped me with one thing it was understanding the value of human life. that just existing is a miracle in itself. i mean, think about it, had your parents done _anything_ different before you born that wouldn't have been you. it'd have been someone else.** " your posture may have been relaxed but your voice was filled with an intensity she couldn't really place.

it seemed you finally noticed how little she reacted to your words, so instead of continuing you simply sighed quietly, looking back at your weapons. a rifle, a shotgun, a pistol and some grenades with sleeping gas. all of them were made to knock the enemy out without any lethal injuries. all of them looked worn and old, as if you'd refused to get them fixed or even replaced. " **hey, pequod. know when we'll arrive?** " it was a question she didn't expect to leave your mouth, what with the impatient note to it. but when she looked at you your expression seemed focused, stressed even. it was the first time she could see any sign of war experience on you. was the first glance behind that mask of yours you'd kept all this time, would keep for as long as you lived. even if it meant losing the remnants of your soul to the darkness of rememberance. it was the first hint of a total solar eclipse, ready to consume the warmth and light you radiated (even if it was fake) and it stunned her. something you were doing shockingly often.

" **we're here. make sure to stay safe down there**." pequod seemed calm, as though your change of tone wasn't unusual, but she could see the slight double take, note the masked over worry in his voice. as soon as you were out of the chopper she followed, and when she made moves to move toward the target destination, a short walk for her, really. you stopped her. expression emotionless, tone firm and demanding as though suddenly a commander had emerged from you. " **we're not just going to wing this. they gave you a briefing, didn't they?** " you seemed impatient, as though you'd gotten second thoughts about taking her with you and now simply had the desire to get this over with. it sparked a flicker of annoyance in her. she clicked her tongue and you frowned, regained composure fairly quickly, though.

" **i want you to scout the enemy camp, mark the enemy with this-** " you extended your hand, tiny nanochips that would put the enemy locations on your idroid. " **-and then simply stand by on your sniping point, here**." your index finger moved over the holographic map to point towards a location, it was a very safe spot, able to overlook the enemy camp but hidden behind some bushes and rocks. she stood up again, simply wanting to do her part when your hand landed on her shoulder. she was glad to stand with her back to you, because when she heard you say " **if you want you can go. i'll have to tell boss and the others, but it'll give you a headstart**." she froze, and despite all her enhancement, her ability to process thoughts quicker than the average person (and maybe even some computers) she couldn't help but question you.

this mission really _was_ going to end badly.

/

" **what the hell happened!?** " the first thing quiet could make out upon her return to mother base was the barking of kaz. she motioned to you, then to the extracted prisoner who you hadn't been able to fulton due to serious bodily harm and a bad physical condition. " **it's ... my fault, kaz**." quiet couldn't help but turn around to stare at you when you spoke, she'd been fairly certain you'd passed out somewhere during the flight back. " **got distracted by a bear ... before i knew it some enemy soldier ... wrestling me down ... barely had a chance to make sure ... prisoner wasn't hurt ... quiet shot him last minute ... took out the whole enemy lines**." your explanation came out in broken phrases, breathing laboured as you pointed at your chest and surely enough your uniform was torn and surely enough blood was splattered all over your form and clothes. the sigh kaz made sounded like a deeper and rougher version of the one she had made when you'd finally been inside the chopper with the prisoner.

it was annoyed, exhausted but also tainted with the slightest hints of worry. she watched as they carried you off, watched as the prisoner was carted off was well. and then she felt an arm on her shoulder and she didn't have to turn around to know it was ocelot, the gloved hand creating a less warm and suffocating feeling on her shoulder than a bare hand would have. " **did that really happen?** " she glanced around uncertain before shaking her head. she didn't want to admit it but she'd opened fire as soon as one of the soldiers had spotted you, a big mistake since it took your chance of sneaking out of sight just in time. the rest of it was but a flurry of bullets and the female closed her eyes shut at the memory. it wasn't like she cared about you specifically but the wince of pure agony she'd heard through the intercom had shellshocker her for a moment there. but not long enough because she still took out every single enemy around you until the entire base camp had been tranquilized.

" **figured as much. just ... when anyone asks if it's true play along. tiger was probably trying to protect you there, you know how miller can be**." she knew it, yes. she had to experience first-hand on an almost daily basis after all, though it's gotten just the slightest bit easier recently. with a simple nod she acknowledge the well-intentioned suggestion before making her way towards her cell. no point in visiting you, not only did she have no reason to do so but the other diamond dogs would probably only meet her with hostility if they found out. even more so than they already did. so instead she cleaned herself and fed herself off the remaining sunlight before darkness covered the base in blackness. and despite trying to simply relax, take in the music that was being blasted over the speakers she couldn't help but dwell on the last words you'd said before you'd taken the very bullet she'd intended for your unconscious enemy.

" **don't make a mistake you can't take back**."

**Author's Note:**

> wuss poppin'
> 
> Okay, no seriously, this was a lot harder to write and keep as short as I did because this is merely the prologue.  
> I wanted to keep many, many things open and maybe left for interpretation (at least until they're all revealed in later chapters)  
> and I sure hope I managed to do that!!
> 
> And yes, there is actually a very good reason for your last words before you passed out but let's wait until we find out, alright?
> 
> Also I am still sorry because I'm a horrid writer.


End file.
